Dixons Don't Dance
by engineergirl86
Summary: Bethyl. In which Beth asks Daryl to dance with her. Picks up in episode 4x13. Beth does not get taken. Three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

**Howdy! I have recently became obsessed with Bethyl (Beth Greene and Daryl Dixon) so I decided that I needed to write a short fic. It is my first for this fandom, but not my first fanfic. Those of you who follow me know I start out my fics by explaining the setting. I will have another A/N at the end with more general stuff that isn't important yet.**

**Setting: Picks up in episode 4x13 "Alone" with an alteration to the storyline. When Daryl gets done taking care of the walkers in the funeral home, Beth is waiting for him on the road just like he expected. There is no black car there to take her.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD or any characters.**

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><p>-o-oOo-o-<strong><br>**

**Dixons Don't Dance**

_Chapter 1_

-o-oOo-o-

"_I don't dance, but here I am spinning you around and around in circles. It ain't my style, but I don't care I'd do anything with you anywhere. Yeah, you got me in the palm of your hand, girl. Cause, I don't dance."_

_-Lee Brice _"I Don't Dance"

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><p>Beth watched anxiously from the road where Daryl had instructed her to wait for him, tightly clutching the knife he gave her in her right hand, ready to take out any more walkers that stumbled her way. Since climbing out of the window with her bag she had only been attacked by one who had seemingly been near the end of the heard that was attacking Daryl. Her heart was beating frantically, guilt ripping though her chest as she prayed that God would keep him safe. There had been no time to argue with him when he told her to run. If she had stopped to stay and help him, he may have gotten hurt trying to protect her in her weakened state with her hurt ankle. If she had argued, he may have also been distracted by the conversation, so she reluctantly decided to go ahead and heed him on this. He was, after all, an expert at this sort of thing, if such a person existed. Her grip on the knife tightened with her anxiety; it had been too long. What was happening in there? Should she go back?<p>

Just then, rapid footsteps could be heard approaching, and her heart fluttered in relief to see him. She had been afraid that it might be another walker coming around the house and leading the pack towards her. She elected not to tell him she had had to kill one, it was like to make him feel guilty for sending her into danger. Which was preposterous because he had lead the majority of them away from her. However inclined Daryl was to teach her to protect herself, he had always been within arm's reach of her ready to jump in at the last minute and save her, as he did so many times before, especially when they were constantly on the run for the first few days they had left the prison. They hadn't slept or eaten a decent meal for who knows how long. The snake hardly counted as a decent meal, but she hadn't said anything. Daryl was feeding her; she would have starved without him, but couldn't one stupid deer have come within thirty miles of them? Venison would have been much preferred. She ate the snake though, however repulsive the thought was to her, to show him that she could make it out here, that she wasn't just some dead girl as she had told him at the moonshine house. No she wasn't a warrior woman like her elder sister or Michonne, but she had her own strengths.

Daryl was visibly relieved to reach her and see that she was unharmed.

"C'mon, we gotta go. This aint no place to stay."

She nodded and they started down the road a bit before crossing into the forest again. Daryl had said traveling on the open road was asking for trouble with walkers and people alike, so they stuck to the woods. Daryl was at home there anyways, and she was no stranger, having grown up on a farm, and loving the outdoors. She often went riding in the woods near her father's farm.

And there it was again, that pain in her chest that threatened to make her break her vow to stop crying. It took her a minute to fight the tears back and realize that it wasn't just the emotional weight in her chest, but she was in physical pain, too. Her panicked mind worked quickly to separate them, and she realized that her ankle was screaming in pain, not just the dull pain she had experienced the last day where she could hobble on it as she had been since they had started running, but a sharper screaming pain as it threatened to give way. She knew she couldn't jog much longer and she let out a little yelp and squeaked "Daryl!" as she fell when trying to climb over a high tree root. Her ankle had simply refused to step up onto it. Daryl stopped and to her surprise flung his cross bow over his shoulder and scooped her up into his arms, carrying her bridal style like he had in the funeral home not so long ago.

"'m sorry," she whimpered, angry with herself for being weak; he would be so much better off without her to take care of. Really that's what had happened the whole time since they left the prison, he had taken care of her, fed her, protected her, _carried_ her more times than she could count at this point.

"Shh, 's fine," he soothed her. "I shouldn'ta asked ya to run. 's my fault."

Beth laid her head against his chest and looped her arms around his neck as he continued walking through the woods at his quick pace. She was pretty sure that they were moving faster now than when he wasn't carrying her.

As they walked her mind traveled back to the moment in the kitchen of the funeral home that they had shared before the walkers came. They had been talking, which would have been a huge step awhile back, but since burning the house down he had opened up to her more, not nearly as much as most people would, but for Daryl it had been significant. She had asked him what changed his mind and he tried to shrug her off, so she lightly made fun of him, and smiled sweetly showing him that she wasn't going to bite. It was ok for him to open up to her. She swore to herself that she would never hurt him again, after her assumption that he had spent time in jail before the turn. She had waited patiently for him to tell her what it was that had changed his mind, but he was just looking at her. No, _looking_ didn't accurately describe the action. He was staring at her, his eyes conveying what his heart felt even when he had no ability to form the words. _"You."_ He had said, in absolute silence, but the message was so clear he might as well have been shouting, and all she had said was "Oh." It hardly seemed like a fitting answer to such a revelation. She hoped that it hadn't wounded him, in its simplicity and stupidity. She had been shocked and unsuspecting. There had been no time to formulate a proper response, but the butterflies in her stomach had fluttered nonetheless. She tried to make sense of it all, the intensity of his stare, the revelation that she had impacted his life and shown him there was hope. But what did it all mean? Was it simply that? That she had restored his hope? Her heart pleaded, yearned for it to be more. After all, such an intense emotional situation was not needed to reveal that she had restored his hope. That was all fine and dandy, even a little child could restore hope and light into someone's life. A smile and friendly interactions were all that were needed to convey the fact. There was no need for the situation to be so intimate, so loaded. There had to be more to it. There was a brief moment that she was certain that his gaze had went from her eyes to her lips and back up. She felt her cheeks warm at the thought. _Could he really have wanted to kiss me? Does he have feelings for me?_

She replayed every moment of the past few weeks in her mind. At first he had been only protecting her, but gradually he had warmed up to her in a way that she had never seen him do with anyone else, even Carol. She had wondered for a while if they were an item, but had quickly learned that the two were just friends. Daryl had given the older woman the cold shoulder enough for Beth to know there couldn't be anything romantic there, at least on his end. Beth had accused Daryl of never letting anyone get close to him, but hadn't he allowed her to since that moment? That night had been so freeing for her. Best of all they were finally communicating and he finally seemed to _see_ her. More than see her, maybe. And she was back to where she started, that deep pure stare, the look in his eyes. She thought back to the time he was teaching her to track and shoot his crossbow. He'd never let anyone else even touch it. Then when they stopped in front of the grave after he'd given her a piggyback ride, she had been reminded of her father, and she needed the comfort of Daryl's touch, reminding her that she wasn't alone. She twined her fingers into his, hoping he would be there for her and not pull away. Truth be told she was a bit surprised he hadn't, but she was so grateful. He'd been there for her, just like he always was even though it made him uncomfortable. Would he have allowed anyone else to do that? Then he'd wanted to listen to her singing, and when she was struggling up the stairs to the kitchen he'd teased her about being slow, and after she had defended "I'm going as fast as I can!" he swept her up into his arms and carried her the rest of the way upstairs and to the dinner table. The whole thing had been almost _flirtatious_? But that couldn't be right, Daryl Dixon didn't flirt. She was certain he would see it as a pointless waste of time. Yet he had told her that he was willing to stay in the funeral home and try to make a life there and work it out with whomever lived there, and that was just as out of character and certainly done for her. So maybe he did have feelings for her. Why else would he have done all those things, and looked at her with those eyes that she could have drowned in, and glanced down at her lips? What would have happened if the walkers hadn't interrupted them?

A hooting owl drew Beth's attention back to reality. She watch Daryl's eyes find the bird in a nearby tree, and was surprised when he didn't put her down to shoot it. A second later it took wing and flew away, and she was a little relieved. Owls were amongst her favorite animals, and she really didn't want to eat one, but if Daryl killed one she would have with gratitude.

"Why didn't you put me down and shoot it?"

"Last owl I ate didn't settle too well, and didn't wanna risk drawing walkers with the blood. Not in good fightin' or runnin' condition right now."

"'M sorry," she apologized again, knowing that she was the one that wasn't in good fighting or running condition. "If you were alone . . ."

"Hush, none a'that."

"I can walk if yer tired."

"Aint tired."

"Daryl, you've been carryin' me for an hour a'least."

"Aint tired."

"Your arms aint even tired?"

"Nah."

He was lying; he had to be. Stupid male egos. But then again these were _Daryl's arms_. The ones that he used to draw his 150 pound crossbow string effortlessly like he was just picking up a small child. Beth had tried and tried and tried to draw the thing when he was teaching her, even going as far as to lie on the ground and use both arms and both legs to do so and still failing. Daryl had laughed (a rare occurrence) and she knew she'd made an idiot of herself. After she was done insisting she could do it on her own he had taken it from her and effortlessly drawn the thing. She had shot the practice target he'd made for her, only missing a few inches to the right, but she was still pretty close to the target. "Good," he'd said, "again." She looked at him questioningly. "You saw how I loaded it, now go on." Actually she hadn't seen. She'd been watching his biceps flex, not where his hands were on the crossbow. She gulped, and tried again. It was so heavy; she was about to give up when she felt his arms come around her on either side and draw it. She had blushed profusely and prayed he hadn't noticed. She didn't look back at his face, she just stepped forward, took the shot, and missed the tree completely.

Since then she had been getting better though, but her favorite part of crossbow practice was most certainly Daryl Dixon's arms. It made no matter to her if he helped her load it by wrapping his arms around her or if he loaded it himself and she gawked at his biceps. She had fought really hard to hide it. This was all after the moonshine shack and when he was warming up to her, but she didn't know he'd had feelings for her at that time, and maybe he hadn't, most likely though they were developing around that time.

She'd thought he was attractive since the moment she saw him at the farm, but it really hadn't developed into what she classified as a crush until they spent the entire night in the trunk of that car. She was terrified at first and he didn't move a muscle, staring at the slit they left open for air to be ready to shoot the first walker to knock it open and threaten them, but after a while, things had slowed down. Daryl still hadn't moved but she put her knife down and readjusted to get more comfortable, knowing he wouldn't let her get hurt. She laid there reflecting on the events since she and Daryl escaped the prison, but she didn't allow her mind to travel back before that, even in the relative calmness of the moment she couldn't risk thinking about her father or the others, so she thought about all the times Daryl had already saved her, just in those first few days. He'd not said a word, but he took care of her, and somehow that and the attraction that she'd always felt for him and his bad-boy persona, knowing how much he actually cared about everyone in the group, and the closeness of the confined space had allowed her to accept that maybe she had a little crush on Daryl Dixon.

Since the crossbow incident she had begun trying to formulate a plan to accidentally touch one of his biceps. The first thing she thought of was waking him up, but this had failed repetitively, as he always woke before her. Next, she thought that she could grab his arm to get his attention, but she always seemed to have it already. She was determined not to be obvious about it. She didn't want to just walk up and grope his arms, she overheard Carol asking him to fool around once and he had given her the cold shoulder in that incident as well. Beth was certain that Daryl wasn't someone who liked bawdy or dominating women, so she would have to be subtle. She was fairly certain she had just come up with the perfect plan, but she needed Daryl to put her down in order to make it go into effect.

Beth yawned. "I'm sleepy, do you think we'll be able to stop an' make camp?"

"Don't see why ya can't sleep right now," Daryl said. Why was he so reluctant to put her down? She felt herself blush at the thought of sleeping in his arms.

"I'd be dead weight."

He looked at her oddly.

"Ok bad description."

"Why so eager for me t' put ya down? Y' uncomfortable?"

"Nah, I just feel bad about all this. You do so much to take care of me Daryl," she said sweetly.

Now he was the uncomfortable one; that much was clear. He just looked straight ahead and didn't say anything else. She supposed one heavy emotional revelation was enough for one night for him.

-o-oOo-o-

When he did start to put her down, she realized that she _had_ fallen asleep in his arms, and she had to bring herself back to her senses or risk missing her opportunity to put her plan into action. Just as her boots touched the ground she reached out and grabbed his arms at the top of his biceps feigning the need to use him as a means to gain her stability and balance. She wanted to touch even more of the hard muscle, so she moved her bad leg to the side as if to step away from him and as she put weight on it, it failed and she only had to partly fake falling, and she gasped to sell it, clinging to his arms for support as her hands slid down his biceps and he reached out and caught her by the sides of her rib cage. That was the best part, his arms flexed when he grabbed her and she almost melted right there, grasping the hard muscle. This time she gasped for real. She squeezed only half acting like she was needing him to hold her up, and half actually needing it, and in a second he was sweeping her off her feet again. The butterflies in her stomach refused to settle down, and he knelt laying her gently on the mossy ground beside a tree.

"Lemme see that ankle," he rummaged through their pack of stuff and pulled out some fabric strips that he could use to wrap it.

Beth pulled off her boot and sock and rolled up her skinny jeans. She was eternally grateful that whoever had lived in the funeral home had the forethought to grab basic toiletries, and she had blissfully shaved her legs for the first time since the prison just this morning. Running water wasn't an option but she had found some travel packs of lotion that worked as makeshift shaving cream. She and Daryl had been planning to find a way to take baths by toting water up to the bathtub from a nearby stream or just bathing in the stream like they had been. She mourned her lack of a bath, but she was so thankful that her legs weren't hairy. If Daryl had seen that then she would probably have just hugged the next walker they came upon. On a serious note though, she felt a bit ridiculous being so concerned about smooth skin while running for her life, but she had to be herself, silly things like this kept her connected to her old life and happy memories.

Daryl wrapped her ankle expertly and she thanked him. He only grunted and gave a short nod before turning from her. "I'll take first watch. Get some rest."

"I have been resting Daryl. You need sleep!" What was with him suddenly? Had he gotten too close for his own comfort and was now backing away? She wouldn't have that. Not again. When he didn't say anything she patted the ground next to her. "Come lay down, I promise I will wake you if _anything_ goes wrong!" He glanced away looking into the distance again and then sighed and gave in to her wishes, though he didn't sit right next to her, more like two or three feet away, but where she could still reach him to wake him if something went wrong.

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><p><strong>AN: Does everyone remember the owl thing in Season 3? Right before they got to the prison? That slayed me, I am like pro-Daryl shoot anything to survive, but I love owls! They are so cute and have such big eyes. And then he got sick to his stomach afterward, this is what I was having him allude to when he mentions the owl. **

**The place they are at right now is kinda similar to that good spot Maggie, Sasha and Bob found to hold up on the rock by the stream that they ended up leaving way sooner than Sasha wanted. Except I thought sleeping on a rock would be uncomfortable, so I put them on a little mossy hill by a stream. Aint I just a sweetheart?**

**Um yeah, that's about it. Beth likes Daryl's arms. Next chapter you will understand the title of the fic (which I am thinking will probably be a two-shot or three-shot, we shall see). This chapter was mainly just the set-up for the next one(s). Hopefully it wasn't too annoying being in Beth's head. The next one will be less of her thoughts and more of what is going on.**

**Well I hope you enjoyed, drop me a review and let me know!  
><strong>

**3 engineergirl86**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the positive feedback y'all! I really can't tell you how much reviews just make my day. I am truly grateful. First things first, this is not the last chapter, it's looking like it will be a three-shot, this chapter was just getting so long, that I decided it would be best to break it in half. Also, I made a playlist for this fic. I will post the whole list in the A/N at the end of the third chapter, because I want some of the songs in the next chapter to be a surprise, and posting them at the bottom of this chapter would ruin that, but you will catch on to most as you read. I promise. Also I need to say that I'm using a lot of new songs, since the turn happened in Oct. 2010 (in cannon), we are just going to pretend that these songs were written pre-Oct. 2010. So, yes I am aware that I'm using songs that would never have been written, but I'm just going to pretend they were so I can use the music I want. I figured y'all would be fine with that so long as I acknowledged it. Song lyrics in the story text are bold, italic, and in parenthesis in the text. I waffled between leaving them in verse format or putting them in paragraphs, and ended up going with the latter. I'm not certain I like it but it's more neat and tidy. Feel free to give some input on that matter, and I will be glad to go back and change it if a lot of people prefer verse format. **

**It's still in Beth's POV, but less in her head. I just find it easier to write from her POV, and the story seems to flow better. I was originally going to write at least one chapter in Daryl's but I personally like this better. Now, without beating around the bush anymore it's time for adorable awkward dancing Daryl! (I promise to keep him in character, just go with me here.) Oh and this chapter is fairly angsty, fair warning. **

**Also, in the south we don't have 'windows' we have 'windas' and they will be referred to as such in dialog. I think all of the rest of the southern accent stuff is fairly clear, but if not let me know. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD or any characters, nor do I own any of the songs mentioned.**

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><p>-o-oOo-o-<p>

**Dixons Don't Dance**

_Chapter 2_

-o-oOo-o-

"_I don't dance, but here I am spinning you around and around in circles. It ain't my style, but I don't care I'd do anything with you anywhere. Yeah, you got me in the palm of your hand, girl. Cause, I don't dance."_

_-Lee Brice _"I Don't Dance"

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><p>Beth woke fitfully clinging to her dreamland, and not wanting to stir. It was the first time since the prison she'd had a pleasant dream. It had taken her a minute to get oriented and sort reality from subconscious, because the two hadn't been entirely different. In her dream she was lying in the moss, just like in reality. Only in the dream, Daryl was lying beside her, as opposed to bending over her to wake her. Dream Daryl was smiling at her and holding her in his arms, which she had been running her hands over, delicately feeling the contours of his muscles, and occasionally squeezing the hard flesh like she had the day before. In her dream though, she wasn't having to sneak to do it. Real Daryl wasn't smiling, he was insisting that they start moving so he could hunt. She got to her feet, taking his hand to help her up.<p>

He had been busy during his time on watch, he had boiled some water in a small pot she had in her bag that she'd acquired while they were on the run. The water was still warm, poured into the bottle they used for drinking, but it was clean, and that was all she cared to ask for at this point.

"Thank you," she returned the bottle to him, and he took a drink before putting it in the pack. He shouldered the pack and his crossbow and stepped toward her to pick her up when she protested.

"I can walk if we just go slowly."

He studied her for a minute and nodded, moving along the stream silently, already hunting.

-o-oOo-o-

Eight hours, five squirrels and four walkers later they came upon a fence. It was obviously the back of some field most likely used for keeping horses. Daryl stepped on the bottom wire and stretched the upper one up for Beth to climb through. Then she held it open for him. Beth had shot two of the squirrels herself and she was very proud of the progress she'd made with the crossbow. After she got her two squirrels Daryl had taken back over and killed three in quick succession. He had told her that they were getting farther out from the highway and towns, he wasn't certain as to where they were in Georgia but he had a pretty good feel for it and seemed to be satisfied with that level of information. He had needed to carry her on several occasions, too. That had damaged their ability to hunt, but five squirrels were sufficient for one day, and Daryl said he'd noticed some deer tracks that were pretty old. Meaning that he wouldn't be able to track it down before dark but it was good to know there were deer in the area.

They walked through the field to see if there was a house that would be, at least, good for grabbing some supplies and moving on, or at best a place they could stay while her leg healed.

"Beth, look," Daryl pointed in the distance, and there it was, a beautiful chestnut colored horse.

Beth smiled. "That means there aren't many walkers in this area or they'd have eaten the poor thing." She felt relief wash over her.

"Yeah, we're pretty secluded, maybe the fence is good an' held up too, to keep 'em out. Reckon they got a well here?"

"Sure hope they do." Well water was one of the most precious things in the present day after the turn, it was generally much safer than the stream water that could have anything in it. It was delicious and cool and you didn't even have to boil it before drinking if you trusted the source. Beth knew it wasn't fool proof one hundred percent of the time, but well water was a low risk considering the other things they'd dealt with.

It wasn't long before they found both the well and the quaint little farm house. Beth blocked out the thoughts about her daddy's farm that were threatening to creep in. Daryl was looking at her as if to ask if she is ok. She nodded. Unlike her house it was only one story and relatively small. It looked old but sturdy, and nicely kept, at least before the turn. It was clear that no one had been here in quite some time, but it was also clear that whomever had lived here had taken pride in their home and made it to look nice. There was no trashy junk lying around like at the moonshine shack. The porch was wrap-around and there were huge windows that Beth just loved. The paneling was white and the door and shutters were all made of a light colored treated wood. It was very country chic and Beth loved it. She raced ahead of Daryl to try the door, and he grabbed her wrist firmly but not harshly or painfully.

"Slow down, we gotta make sure it's safe."

She nodded and he released her wrist. He motioned for her to open the door and he moved silently into the house, crossbow at the ready. He quickly cleared all the rooms, Beth close behind. There were two bedrooms, a bathroom adjoined to the master bedroom, and a half bath in the hallway near the kitchen. The dining room and living room were openly connected, but it was clear what space was meant for what. There was a laundry room in the hall as well as a storage closet. They also checked the closets in the bedrooms.

The place hadn't been touched since the turn. Even the family pictures were still in place. Beth assumed that the family had gone to town and been in the first wave of infected people. If that hadn't been the case then why wouldn't they come back here, safe as it was? It was also clear that they owned two vehicles based on the oil spots and tire tracks outside, but only a large diesel truck remained. Beth looked at the family photos hanging on the wall. Her heart broke at the loss of life. It seemed that this had been a family farm, passed down through generations, and that a young married couple and their daughter, maybe six or seven years old had been living here most recently based on the clothing she'd seen in the closets, the way the rooms were decorated, and the newest of the pictures. There were lots of pictures of them with an older woman as well. Maybe she was the mother of the man or the woman, and she'd passed the farm down to her child when her husband passed, unable to keep up with it on her own. Beth was curious, there were older pictures too of the same elderly woman when she was young standing in front of the house with who Beth assumed could only be her husband. Beth was pretty sure she was right. The farm was small, but to an elderly woman who just lost her husband, it must have seemed so huge and empty. Passing it on to their beloved child who was just starting a family seemed so reasonable. No doubt the mother moved to some apartment nearby and was well loved by her child, his wife, and her granddaughter, as many pictures of the four as there were.

Beth fought back the threatening tears, and turned to see Daryl going through things, he was very purposefully searching for something specific in the hall closet. A second later, he pulled out nails and a hammer and went to the kitchen. She watched in confusion. He opened one of the cabinet doors and wedged the hammer in the space between the cabinet door and cabinet itself when she realized what he was doing.

"No!" she protested before he pried the cabinet door off. Daryl looked back at her. "Need t' cover them windas. Aint safe, all that open glass. Walkers come right through."

"But you'll ruin the cabinets!" she said stupidly. She'd done it again, held to something stupid from her old life and made herself out to be a fool. He just held her gaze, showing that he was waiting for her to try to make what she'd said relevant to him, as she always did in these situations. He was so patient with her. He'd stop and listen even when she was being ridiculous.

"Couldn't we look for scrap wood in the barn? It would be stronger than the cabinets anyways."

He seemed to buy that, and released the hold on the door to head to the barn. Beth hobbled after him, and after a second of her falling behind, he scooped her up again, despite her "I can do it!" protests. She'd done better today at least than yesterday. He carried her almost exclusively yesterday. Today was more of a 60% carry to 40% walk, but at least it was an improvement. Improvement really was the wrong word though, because she loved when he carried her, only it made her feel weak and useless and worst of all a burden to him, though he denied it fervently. By the time they reached the barn the sun was beginning to set and she knew they'd need to hurry. Daryl put her down and cleared it quickly, checking for walkers. Sure enough, there was some scrap wood lying around. He filled a wheel barrel with it and they returned to the house. He immediately set to work covering the beautiful windows, but Beth knew he was right. She offered to help but he told her to go look and see if there was a generator they could hook up to the pump he saw attached to the house that could be used to pump well water up into the house. The idea excited her so much that she immediately went and found the generator under the back porch, which she carefully checked for walkers before crawling under to grab it. She pulled it out and left it by the pump for Daryl to hook up, because she wasn't sure how.

Back inside the house, she found candles and placed them all around the dining room, kitchen, master bedroom, and bathroom. It was gradually getting darker and Daryl boarding up the windows didn't help the situation. There were plenty of matches in one of the drawers, and she lit all of the candles she'd placed. Then, she dug through the cabinets and found some canned foods, and peanut butter and jelly they could eat. Peanut butter and jelly was a staple, they found it in almost every house they went to. It was expired but not by long and she decided it would make a good meal with some of the canned veggies she found. They even got the luxury of using spoons, but Beth had to admit she was more excited about the prospect of taking a shower than anything else, though.

After setting the table with dinner, she went to explore the house. The first place she went was to the closets in the master bedroom. The smaller one was the man's and there was a medium sized walk in closet that the woman kept her things in. Beth felt like she was shopping looking through all the beautiful clothes. It was an effort to block out the fact that the woman who owned these things was dead, but Beth pushed it out of her mind and decided to be thankful instead that they had come upon this place. If she died, she would certainly want anyone who was in need to take her things, and she decided that this lady would have been of the same mind. Beth pulled out an adorable tank with lacy ruffles on it and held it up in front of her, checking the size. _XS. _She wore the same size Beth did! Beth would have been grateful for any new clothes, but new clothes that fit were a rare treat. Not many women wore extra small. She knew the lady was tiny from her pictures in the living room, but Beth hadn't really been trying to decide what size her clothes were at the time. She resisted the urge to go through all of them and try them on immediately. After all, she was filthy and desperately wanted to take a bath before getting any of these pretty things dirty.

Next she went to the man's closet wondering if there was anything Daryl would be interested in, she wasn't sure what size he wore, but she had a suspicion that the short, skinny man's clothing wouldn't fit him. Which was a shame because there were a lot of clothes that would have been great for Daryl. Some of the houses they'd found to look for supplies had lots of business suits or things of that sort, but this man had lots of work clothes, comfortable and sturdy for farm work. Such things would be great for being on the run.

The next thing she found could arguably have been her favorite. It was a stash of CD's and a battery powered boom box. She turned it on, and to her excitement it worked! She was certain the batteries would be dead. Beth grabbed the CD on top of the stack, it read "New Country" in permanent marker. It was a CD-R of a playlist one of the couple had created on the computer, the songs listed in order in the same marker written smaller under the title. Just as she was putting the CD in to play it Daryl came back into the house. She turned the player off to conserve battery power, promising herself she'd listen to the CD later tonight.

"Got the windows boarded, generator workin', an' I checked the well, it don't look like no walkers been fallin' into it. Should be clean. Y' wanna eat or shower first?"

"Shower!" Beth was so excited she could barely contain it.

"Should be hot water, I found the water heater too."

Beth could have kissed him. She all but ran out of the kitchen and into the full bathroom adjoined to the master bedroom. She pulled out a fluffy towel from under the sink, closed the door, and striped her nasty blood smeared clothes off, then carefully unwrapped her ankle bindings. Stepping into the shower she was greeted with one of the most relaxing sensations of her entire life. The water was so warm and she could already feel the grime and dirt releasing from her skin. The soft glow of the two candles she'd put in the room served to make it even more soothing.

Beth took her time carefully washing, rinsing, and rewashing her hair, then conditioning it. There were so many wonderful fancy bath things and she was determined to use them all. They were all the same fancy name brand and peach scented. It smelled like summer and freedom to her. She used moisturizing soap to get her body perfectly clean and then used an exfoliating scrub to make her skin smooth, and finished up with shaving. It was glorious, and she was in her own little world when a knock on the door jolted her back into reality.

"Beth, you ok in there?" Daryl asked from the other side of the bathroom door.

"'m fine Daryl, just enjoyin' gettin' clean."

"You been in there the better part of an hour. I was thinkin' somethin' might'a happened."

"Somethin' like what?" What could go wrong in the shower?

"Idunno, maybe y' fell n hit yer head. Ain't never heard a' nobody takin' a shower this long."

She laughed a little as she rinsed herself clean and stepped out of the shower to dry off. "I'll be out in a minute." Beth assumed this satisfied him because she heard his footfalls as he walked away. She toweled her hair dry and covered herself in expensive lotion.

Then she wrapped the towel around her to go look for something to wear. She opened the door of the bathroom and peeked out to see if Daryl was where he could see her. She didn't feel comfortable walking around in just a towel. It wasn't that she thought he'd think dirty things about her or anything, it was just that she'd been raised to always be decent, and she was sure that her mamma would have said prancing around in just a towel around a man you're not married to would not qualify as decent. The coast seemed to be clear, so she made a beeline for the bedroom door and closed it, catching a glimpse of him cleaning his crossbow at the dining room table.

She discarded her towel onto the bed and dug through one of the drawers. There was one full of women's underwear, and even an unopened package of panties. They were really silky and very expensive feeling. Beth guessed that when you're married it makes sense to spend money on nice undergarments, because someone _will actually_ be seeing them. The bras were all lacey too. She'd never worn anything like this before. It was a little big on her but the push up padding seemed to help with that. She'd always had nice clothes, just not ever any fancy lingerie, and that was all she could find here. She looked at the effect the bra had in the mirror hoping that her breasts weren't noticeably bigger. She'd picked one that wasn't that padded so maybe it would be ok. Next, she went to the closet. She wanted to try it all on. Especially the dresses. The last time she'd worn a dress was over a year and a half ago, but it was a floral print navy chiffon skirt that caught her attention and she grabbed it and pulled it on. Then, she found a fitted tank and little denim half jacket that cut off at her elbows and the bottom of her rib cage and didn't go all the way around to the front. There were several pairs of cowboy boots, too. She picked a dark brown pair. Then she chose a navy headband, the same color as the skirt, and smiled at her appearance in the mirror.

Daryl was still sitting at the dining room table cleaning their weapons.

"Daryl."

He looked back at her and took in her new appearance.

"You can take a shower now, sorry I took so long."

-o-oOo-o-

While Daryl took a shower, Beth went through the closet to see just what all it held. She decided to use the closet as a changing room and try on a little white sundress. She opted to keep the same boots she was currently wearing. She opened the door to go look at herself in the mirror and was surprised to see Daryl out of the shower, fully redressed in his same nasty clothes and sitting on the bed leaning back against the headboard looking very tired. It had become completely dark outside and the only light in the room now was that from the candles, so it was a bit hard to see all the details, but she twirled around in front of the mirror admiring the dress, as he watched her curiously.

"What d' ya think Daryl Dixon?" she asked him sweetly in her best flirtatious voice, striking a pose with her hand rested on her hip, then turning her back to him and peering at him over her shoulder.

"'s fine."

Beth tried on dress after dress, posing cutely like the models in the fashion magazines in the mirror and for Daryl, who just sat there and watched, his face occasionally reddening. He always said the same thing when she asked his opinion. They were all "fine." It wasn't the _dang baby you're fine_, type of fine either, it was the mediocre response meaning _ok I guess_.

In the back of the closet she saw something bright blue that was covered in plastic, and pulled it out from between the other clothes.

"Ohhhh," she sighed. It was a beautiful strapless chiffon bridesmaid dress with a frilly skirt. Beth held it reverently as her eyes filled with tears. This was all it took to make her think about Maggie, and how she was probably dead, and she didn't even get to have a wedding. Beth would have worn something like this, she was certain, though, Maggie probably would have wanted her 'maids to wear green, as it was her favorite color. Tears slid down her cheeks and she fought to control the sobs so Daryl couldn't hear, but it was no use. Unlike Maggie, who she still had hope for, Daddy was dead for sure and he'd never gotten to give Maggie away. And Maggie had been robbed of the day that little girls dream of for their entire life. Beth dropped to her knees as the sobs took over, she muffled them in her hands.

"Hey," Daryl said softly in his gravelly voice from behind her, kneeling down to check and see if she was okay, clearly feeling uncomfortable with the situation of her sitting in the closet crying. Beth turned to him and threw herself in his arms, which he clearly wasn't expecting either. He cautiously brought a hand up to rub her back as she buried her face in his vest and shirt. His chest was hard like his arms, but it was still a welcome feeling. She fisted one hand around the fabric of his shirt over his collarbone, and clung to the dress with the other. After a minute she felt him lift her and the dress up off the floor and he carried her over to lay her on the bed. If the situation had been different she might have blushed at the seemingly romantic motion. But the only thing she could really think about was Maggie, Glenn and Daddy and the wedding that never happened.

Daryl stood back and looked at her for a minute, "you should try an' get some sleep."

"Ain't tired." Beth sat up, and looked at him. "Maggie never got t' have her weddin' ya know?" She laughed a little uncomfortably. "I know you think I'm stupid, that a bridesmaid dress could make me cry, but it ain't the dress, it's . . ."

"Nah, I know." He paused for a minute. "Y' aughta put it on. You'd 'a' worn something like that right? Maybe keep it 'n when we find 'er. You can show it to 'er."

Beth was amazed, Daryl really did have hope, and now it was her, sittin' here like a big dummy cryin', though honestly most of her tears had been over the fact that Daddy would never get to give Maggie away. Beth was finally grieving him. She'd closed it off for so long as something that simply wasn't an option. Moving to the closet she dried her tears and gave Daryl a little smile.

The dress fit really well, though it was a bit of a struggle to zip the back, but she managed, tucking the straps of her bra into the top of the strapless dress so they wouldn't show. She dried her face and ran her fingers through her clean hair. It was so tangle free and soft, she wondered what Daryl thought of her wearing it down like this, and her cheeks began to warm. The dark brown boots were bound to look really cute with it so she pulled them back on, feeling slightly self-conscious about the lack of anything covering any part of her shoulders. It had been a long while since she wore anything strapless.

Upon exiting the closet her eyes went straight to the mirror, still needing to work up the courage to meet Daryl's gaze. It was the prettiest thing she'd ever worn, and the smile flooded her features. She'd had lots of pretty clothes, and everything she'd tried on had been pretty as well, but this was easily the best. With her courage so strong she looked to Daryl and asked "What d' ya think Daryl Dixon?" and holding the skirt out as she did a little flirtatious half courtesy. She met his eyes for a second fully expecting his typical _'s fine_ when he looked away, face reddened, and mumbled something incoherent like he had the night before.

"Hmm? Don't just mumble" she teased.

"Looks nice," he said reluctantly then looked away.

Beth's heart fluttered and she realized that if she didn't do something this moment would slip from her and he would be silent again. It wasn't quite at the depth they'd reached at the funeral home, but it was something, and she wasn't going to let it slip away. But her nerves were getting the better of her and she found that she didn't know what to say, and if she did say something it would probably come out like _I-like-you-a-lot-and-I-think-you-should-kiss-me-and-you-have-really-sexy-arms._ Maybe she just needed a drink to give her the courage, but why was she so shy? She'd always been confident around boys. Her mamma taught her that being confident, kind, and lady-like was the best way to gain a man's attention and respect. She'd always told her to never beg or grovel or do something that would damage her self-image; Maggie had told her later that this just meant not to be a slut to get a guy's attention, because he wouldn't respect and value you. Mamma had said on the other end to always be polite and lady-like when a man, whose attentions you didn't want, was interested. Maggie had told her that that meant to not be a stuck-up bitch, because word would spread and guys she was actually interested in would think of her as a stuck-up bitch. Maggie had summarized the whole thing as respecting yourself and the guy and always being lady-like. Beth had managed this with ease her entire time in high school. She'd had one boyfriend freshman year, and they'd ended up breaking up and deciding to just be friends, then at the end of sophomore year Jimmy had asked her out, and then there had been Zach. Beth desperately wished her mamma was here right now to talk to. Daryl wasn't like any of them. They had all been young, and she'd liked them, sure, but the way she felt about Daryl was different, it was this deep longing to never be apart. Her cheeks flushed as she thought about it. Mamma'd been right though, she'd treated Daryl just like Mamma said, and he'd fallen for her. Why was it so hard to know what to do next? Should she find some way to tell him that she felt the same?

Beth glanced around the room nervously and her eyes landed on the CD player. Daryl watched her as she walked over to it and picked up the CD she'd chosen earlier, silently reading through the names of the songs on it. _"Where It's At" _Dustin Lynch,_ "Leave The Night On" _Sam Hunt,_ "Sunshine & Whiskey" _Frankie Ballard,_ "Chillin' It" _Cole Swindell,_ "Tim McGraw" _Taylor Swift,_ "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" _Cole Swindell,_ "Burnin It Down" _Jason Aldean. Beth stopped right there not even bothering to skim through the rest of the list. Jason Aldean was her favorite and _"Burnin' It Down"_ had been one of her favorites before the world went to crap. She put the CD in, and considered skipping to that song, but decided to just let it play through all the way because she liked all of the songs. Daryl was watching her curiously in that way he had, clearly as surprised as she'd been that the batteries still worked.

The short intro played to Dustin Lynch's latest hit and then the lyrics flooded the air.

"_**It ain't in a high rise looking for a good time shutting down the city lights. It ain't in the water floating like a bobber soaking up that hot sunshine. As good as it gets, no that ain't where it is . . ."**_

As the first verse play through, Beth was thrilled. Music! How long had it been since she'd been able to listen to music? It was freeing, just like the night at the moonshine shack when they'd set the place on fire. She started dancing just as the chorus began to play.

"_**It's at 2 a.m. when she's reachin' over, faded t-shirt hanging off her shoulder, dressed up, her hair down, in a ball cap, yep yep, as long as I get that sweet little something late night kiss on a plane or a train or way back in the sticks. I swear, if she's there, that's where, yep yep, that's where it's at."**_

She was smiling and dancing and having fun, and she knew the only thing that would make it better.

"Dance with me Daryl Dixon!"

"Nah, you go 'head."

"Oh c'mon, it's fun! Ain't nobody gonna see ya."

"Somebody's gotta keep watch."

"Oh, you boarded the windas, we're fine! 'sides, you ain't watchin' for walkers," she left off the implied _you're watchin' me_.

Daryl didn't say anything, and the next song started. "Oh! I love this one! Leave the Night On!"

She sang along as she danced, remembering the words to one of her favorites.

"_**They roll the sidewalks in this town all up after the sun goes down. They say nothin' good happens here when midnight rolls around, but layin' down would be in vain. I can't sleep with you on my brain, and I ain't anywhere close to tired, your kiss has got me wired."**_

Beth switched around how she danced, sometimes doing actual square dancing steps, sometimes swaying and moving with the tune, and sometimes being silly, cute and flirty. For the chorus, she quickly switched to an upbeat square dancing style that fit perfectly with the melody as it started.

"_**Girl, you got the beat right, killin' in your Levis, high on your loving's got me buzzin' like a streetlight. It's still early out in Cali, baby, don't you wanna rally again? We'll find a road with no name, lay back in the slow lane, the sky is dropping Jupiter around us like some old train. We'll be rolling down the windows, I bet you we're catchin' our second wind. We don't have to go home, we can leave the night on. We can leave the night on . . ."**_

She danced closer to Daryl swaying to the first part of the second verse, and looking into his eyes as he watched her intently as she sang along.

"_**Now all the stars are turnin' blue just kissed the clock 2:22. Baby, I know what you're wishin' for I'm wishin' for it too. . ."**_

"You should dance with me."

"Nah."

"Why not?"

"Dixons don't dance."

"Well then it's time we change that!" she pulled on his hands, trying to pull him up.

"Thought yer ankle hurt."

"'s fine right now, but it might be good for you to be close to catch me if somethin' happened," she said as flirtatiously as she could.

He didn't say anything, so she pulled her most innocent pleading face, the one that allowed her to get away with anything. "Daryl please?" she asked sweetly as if it would kill her for him to do anything but agree.

It was fool proof. He surrendered with a sigh and stood up, allowing her to lead him to the open area in the bedroom where she'd been dancing. They got into place just as the song was ending. Beth let go of his hand and put her hands on his shoulders. He didn't move so she directed his hands to rest lightly on her waist. _"Sunshine & Whiskey" _started. Beth said, "Don't worry, this one is easy to dance to."

Daryl definitely didn't appear to be at ease. Beth started moving her feet in a three step pattern as the music started, taking small steps so he could watch her feet and learn the steps before having to do anything.

"_**Out chilling on a beach with my sweet Georgia peach. Not a care in the world, just trying to beat the heat. Body like an hourglass, sand on her feet. I can't help but stare cause I got the best seat. . ."**_

Daryl didn't look at her, not once, he just stood there watching her feet with his hands resting on her waist. The way he touched her was so gentle, like if his grip was too tight he would break her. He wasn't dancing, but she was ok with this as an alternative, knowing it was taking a lot for him to even stand here like this with her.

"_**You hit me like fire, shot me like a bullet. Burned me up and down, no way to cool it. But every time you kiss me it's like sunshine and whiskey. It's like a bottle of Jack straight to the head. One shot, two shot, copper tone red. Every time you kiss me it's like sunshine and whiskey."**_

She did allow herself, though, to wish that he would at least look at her, all she was seeing was the hair that fell over his eyes as he looked straight down at her feet. If she dared to get closer she'd be able to look up into his eyes, since he was a head taller than her, but she elected to just bide her time, and hope the situation would work itself out as she continued through the steps. Maybe he was just uncomfortable because it was a song about kissing, she couldn't remember what came on next, but maybe it would be easier for him to look at her, and it wasn't long now since _"Sunshine & Whiskey"_ is such a short song.

Cole Swindell's _"Chillin' it"_ came on next, she wasn't sure if that was an improvement or not, but she decided to take a chance and step closer to Daryl and lace her fingers together behind his neck and sway hoping he would move with her.

"_**Pour it on easy now, don't spill a bit. Nothin' but time tonight, let's get to killing it. Long as I'm rocking with you, girl, you know I'm cool with just chillin' it."**_

Beth could sware that she felt him starting to sway with her just ever so slightly.

_**"Nothing but two lane country on up ahead. Girl, you so fine I wouldn't mind if this is all we did.**_  
><em><strong>You got me high on kisses, you got me missing signs. Hard looking left when my world is on my right."<strong>_

And as the song played on she was sure of it.

"_**I got my shades on, top back, rolling with the music jacked, one on the wheel, one around you baby. Sunset, I bet, there's a chance we can get, sure enough, tangled up, laid back and lazy."**_

Beth was grateful that the next song to come on was one of Taylor Swift's that would be easier to slow dance to. She sighed as the sweet soft music started, Daryl finally swaying with her and moving his feet ever so slightly.

"_**He said the way my blue eyes shined put those Georgia stars to shame that night."**_

For the first time since they started dancing Daryl looked up at her, gazing into her eyes with that same intensity he'd had last night, as if saying that that line of lyrics was written about her. Beth felt her breath catch in her throat, and she refused to screw this up again. She held his gaze, willing him to kiss her, but he didn't. Then, she realized she wasn't leading their dance anymore, he was, and she smiled at him, holding his gaze and not even trying to fight off the blush that was threatening to cover her cheeks."_**  
><strong>_

"_**. . . I was right there beside him all summer long, and then the time we woke up to find that summer gone."  
><strong>_

"_**But when you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think my favorite song, the one we danced to all night long, the moon like a spotlight on the lake. When you think happiness, I hope you think that little black dress, think of my head on your chest, and my old faded blue jeans. When you think Tim McGraw, I hope you think of me."**_

They danced through the rest of that song and _"Hope You Get Lonely Tonight"_ started to play.

"_**I could go for a tipsy tailgate kiss, baby taste the moonshinin' off of your lips, I want to see that want ya smile, still got me hooked been hooked for awhile. If you got a bottle you ain't opened yet, and an empty spot beside ya in ya bed, if you got some room for a little regret, let me know girl I've already left."**_

"Ya ok?" Beth asked when Daryl's gaze left hers, she'd really liked looking into his blue eyes and having him do the same.

"Mmmhmm," he gave a little half-hearted nod, and Beth brought her hands down to graze over his shoulders soothingly, hoping to quell some of his discomfort, without opening her mouth and either making him more uncomfortable or blowing the whole situation off to nothing to save his embarrassment. That would result in putting them back to ground zero and neither of them wanted that. Then, she decided to do something that would show him how comfortable she was with their closeness. She stepped closer to him and pushed his hands down lower, from her waist onto her hips, his thumbs lying over the front of her hip bones and fingers in back just above her bottom. She laced her fingers behind his neck again, and began swaying her hips more, but being careful to not get to close to him and be un-lady-like or slutty as Maggie would say. She hoped she wasn't crossing the line already, but she had to do something to get Daryl to let this _thing_ that was happening, well, _happen_.

"_**Girl. If you're feelin' what I'm feel in' let's mix it up, you got my number baby hit me up, if you need a little late night pick me up, I hope you get lonely tonight, we ain't gotta make up just kiss me, we could straight up blame it on the whiskey, you ain't gotta wake up and miss me, no, I hope you get lonely tonight."**_

By the time the song ended Daryl's grip on her hips had really tightened, she was sure she was getting to him swaying to the rhythm, just not sure if she was going about it the right way. He was still looking very uncomfortable. She smiled up at him reassuringly as _"Burnin' It Down"_ started, maybe he'd like this one better. After all they did just burn a house down a couple weeks ago.

"_**You slip your finger through the tear in my t-shirt. You stirrin' up dirty in the back of my mind. You keep on flirtin' cause you know that it's workin'. You stuck in my head girl writing the lines. Couldn't sing this song without you if I tried. Let's light it up like it's our last night."**_

Daryl's grip tightened even more and he almost started to pull her closer, but stopped.

"_**We're just hanging around, burnin' it down, sippin' on some cold Jack Daniel's, jammin' to some old Alabama with you, baby, laying right here, naked in my bed."  
><strong>_

He cleared his throat and let go of her and started walking away.

"_**I'm just doing my thing. You love it when I sing, say it makes you feel like an angel. We about to get a little tangled up right about now, so girl let's keep burnin' it down. Burnin' it down. Burnin' it down."**_

"Daryl, what's wrong?"

He shook his head and kept walking. She followed him to the bedroom door and then stopped, watching, as he went to the dining room to shoulder his crossbow. Then he went to the front door, moving the coffee table out of the way so he could go outside.

"Did you hear somethin'?"

"Nah."

"Then what are you doin? Are you ok?"

"Just need t' clear my head."

"What? Did I do somethin' wrong? What's botherin' you?"

He didn't say anything.

"Daryl please, don't shut me out, I don't want you to leave. What's wrong?"

"What d' you think!" he yelled at her. "We were dancin' to a song about people havin' sex Beth, shit."

"But Daryl, it's just a song. We were just havin' fun and dancin'," she smiled sweetly at him, trying to convince them both of the innocence of the action, neither of them were buying it.

"Oh, 's that how ya acted with all yer little scrawny ass boyfriends? Sure yer daddy was real ok with that."

It had been a low blow, and she dropped her head, no longer able to look at him. Tears welled in her eyes, and she heard him groan, as if frustrated with himself with how it all came out of his mouth. A second later she heard the door slam, not sure who he was angrier with, himself or her. Had it really been that bad? She felt ashamed, but she was certain he was making it out to be worse than it really was. Did he have some kind of guilt about being attracted to her?

Beth sighed and went back to the bedroom closet to change clothes. She chose a pair of jeans, a cute tank and flannel shirt in case something went bad and they had to run. She would be ready.

The CD player was still playing, and suddenly it caught her attention. It was Lee Brice.

"_**I don't dance, but here I am spinning you around and around in circles. It ain't my style, but I don't care I'd do anything with you anywhere. Yeah, you got me in the palm of your hand, girl. Cause, I don't dance."**_

And she realized just how much Daryl cared for her, and he was blaming himself for it. Sitting there on the side of the bed, she decided that she shoulda just kissed him when she had the chance.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well there is chapter 2. I hope you liked it. **

***One thing about water real quick. In reality well water is **_**generally**_** safer than surface water because it is **_**typically**_** shielded from the gross contaminants, but, harmful minerals can get into it in high enough concentrations which can cause sickness or even asphyxiation especially for babies. This is rare, but it can happen, so it's important to get your well water tested/treated/whatever. I'm not an expert but I took a good amount of water classes in engineering school and I just wanted to clarify, but Beth and Daryl aren't really worried about could be's and such in the zombie apocalypse.***

**I have a link to Beth's bridesmaid dress on my profile page, it's really near the top, and you shouldn't need to even scroll down. It's under The Walking Dead, then Dixons Don't Dance (big shocker there, I was really trying to hide it). It's one that one of my bridesmaids wore for my wedding (I had four different bm dresses for my girls) and I just loved it, so I decided to reference it here for Beth. I'd like to think though that the one Beth wore is a bit more blue and less aqua, to match her eyes. Blondes are gorgeous in blue. (Jealous brunette here, but we do pull off pink and red better, haha!)**

**Anyways, hmmm, what else? Oh, the Taylor Swift song, isn't as new as the others, its 2006. I am not really a huge fan of her, I'm pretty neutral, but those lyrics were perfection for Bethyl, esp. the blue eyes thing. I'm a huge Cole Swindell fan (two of the songs were his). A full song list will be included at the end of chapter 3 which should be posted by the end of the week, well technically the end of **_**next**_** week (Its 7 pm Saturday where I live). **

**I don't want to beg for reviews, but they really do make my day and I read all of them, and take into consideration things that my reviews want to see happen. For example, would y'all like the next chapter to be in Daryl's POV or stay in Beth's?**

**Thanks!**

**3 engineergirl86**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks bunches for the lovely feedback! Before reading this chapter I need to give you a bit of background info, because mentioning it in the text doesn't seem natural, it would just come out as an 'oh by the way' type of thing. On a run that Maggie went on between seasons 3 and 4 (read "when things were calm and life was good") she found a copy of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. She read it when she was in college and had really liked it, so she grabbed the copy for Beth, so she could read it. Thus, for a while between seasons 3 and 4 Beth carried the book around with her everywhere and read it when she wasn't needed elsewhere or Judith was napping. **

**Now, here it is, in Daryl's POV as requested.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own TWD or any characters, nor do I own any of the songs or books mentioned.**

* * *

><p>-o-oOo-o-<p>

**Dixons Don't Dance**

_Chapter 3_

-o-oOo-o-

"_I don't dance, but here I am spinning you around and around in circles. It ain't my style, but I don't care I'd do anything with you anywhere. Yeah, you got me in the palm of your hand, girl. Cause, I don't dance."_

_-Lee Brice _"I Don't Dance"

* * *

><p>Daryl walked straight to the well and found the hand pump nearby, placing a bucket below the faucet, and pumping up water. He'd turned the generator off after getting out of the shower, so it would last longer rather than just leave it running. Beth had been fooling around in the big walk-in closet and she'd not even noticed that he'd gone outside briefly to turn it off. Thus, now he needed to either turn it back on or walk to the well to get water, and he'd really needed the long walk more than the water. A drink would be great too, but there wasn't alcohol in the house. In truth, that was probably for the best, because then he might do something he'd really regret. He dumped the metal bottle full of water out on the grass. It was warm from riding in their pack all day after having been boiled, and he'd not refilled it because once they got to the house they were able to drink cool water from the tap out of the faucet in glasses that Beth had set out. Daryl submerged the bottle in the bucket of water, allowing it to refill with the cool liquid. He screwed the cap back on and put it back inside his jacket pocket, then cupped his hands in the water and splashed his face. He needed to cool off and be rational, but honestly he really didn't want to think about it again. It couldn't lead anywhere good, but there was no way to keep the thoughts out, so he might as well just go ahead and hash it out.<p>

Beth knew he had feelings for her, she had to, what with the way she was actin' and all, but what was she trying to do? Torture him? It was working. She deserved so much better than a filthy redneck like him. She was so young, innocent, pure and _good_. He was none of those things. The age thing really wasn't that big of a deal, in truth. He'd seen her as young when they first escaped together, but she'd shown him she wasn't a little girl, she was a woman. Maybe that was when he started falling for her, at the moonshine house they'd burned down. He'd known she was grown up for some time, since the prison when she really stepped up and became Lil Asskicker's caretaker, but the vastness of their age difference had really just disappeared at the little run down house.

He shook his head trying to clear his thoughts. If she only knew what she was doing to him. . . especially when she'd pulled his hands down to her hips and swayed so sensually to the music. He'd wanted to pull her up against him and crash his lips into hers. It took everything for him not to, and why hadn't he? She'd been asking for it. Wasn't that what he wanted, to keep her safe and give her everything she wanted, anything she asked for? What had stopped him? Why couldn't he get past thinking she deserved better? No doubt it was true, but why should he care? She was instigating it. Maybe he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop once it got started. It had been a painfully long amount of time since he'd been with a woman, but Beth was more than that to him. He didn't just want to screw her and move on, he wanted more than that with her, and she deserved more. He felt something different, something real with her. That was part of the problem too, he cared too much to just throw her down on the bed and take her. She didn't know what she was doing, what she was teasing him with or asking for. Feeling her swaying in his hands had been hard enough on him, but the words in those last two songs had made it nearly impossible for him to keep his mind out of the gutter. That line "baby, layin' right here, naked in my bed" had been the kicker, and his traitorous mind had pictured just that, Beth lying in bed absolutely beautiful and completely naked waiting for him. He was disgusted with himself. If they were back with the rest of the group she never would have been interested in him, she was just lonely and in need of comfort, and he was the only man she'd seen in the better part of two months, hormones had something to do with it too, probably. If they were back with the rest of the group, she'd be interested in someone else, anyone else, and that was why he couldn't let this happen. She deserved better than him. Merle would have laughed his ass off and called him a whole list of things, but Daryl couldn't bring himself to give a damn.

It was completely dark out, and that really didn't bother him at all concerning his own safety. Walkers were more active at night though, and he'd left Beth all alone in the house that he could barely see from this distance. What if something happened like it had at the funeral home? There was no way she'd braced the door, with him still out here. He was so stupid to let his emotions get the best of him and storm off leaving her all alone. Daryl began to run back to the house, desperately needing to get back and make sure she was ok.

Upon reaching the house he busted in the front door in a hurry to find her. From the other room he heard her let out a quiet sound of fear. He pulled up his crossbow ready to shoot the walkers. He ran into the bedroom and lowered his crossbow.

She was standing on the other side of the bed holding her knife, ready to stab. She'd thought he was a walker. Add busting loudly into the house in the middle of the night to the list of things he'd messed up on today.

He let out a sigh of relief and walked over to her as she lowered her knife and calmed down.

"'M sorry. I ran back an' busted in real loud, didn' mean t' scare ya. I shouldn'ta left, I was 'fraid walkers mighta come in while I was gone."

"No, 's fine," she said quietly. "I'm ok."

Daryl nodded and started out of the room, she didn't ask him to stay this time.

He pushed the coffee table back in front of the door and went to the couch to push it down the hall to the bedroom. When he got to the door he had to turn it up on one side and push it in awkwardly to fit through the door. Beth watched him curiously, but didn't say anything. She was rummaging through the drawers in the different furniture. Daryl placed his knife and cross bow on the floor beside the couch and laid down. It seemed her curiosity had finally had enough and she asked him what he was doing.

"I'll sleep on the couch, you take the bed, if somethin' goes bad we'll be close by an' won't hafta find each other in different rooms."

She nodded. "I don't mind to sleep on the couch if you want the bed."

"Nah, I'm good, what 'r' ya lookin' for?" he asked.

"Batteries. The CD player ones ran outta juice."

"Why don' you jus' sang somethnin?"

She stopped rummaging and turned to look at him and studied him for a minute. "Are you sure you want me to?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, umm," she sat down on the bed looking around the room thinking, looking for inspiration, and looking absolutely beautiful. Daryl couldn't take his eyes off her, he'd come back to check on her and walked right into a trap she didn't even know she was setting. He should never have asked her to sing but he wanted to hear it so badly.

"_**If I die young, bury me in satin. Lay me down on a bed of roses. Sink me in a river at dawn. Send me away with the words of a love song."**_

"_**Uh oh, uh oh. Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother. She'll know I'm safe with You when she stands under my colors, oh, and life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no. Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby. The sharp knife of a short life, oh well I've had just enough time."**_

"_**If I die young, bury me in satin. Lay me down on a bed of roses. Sink me in the river at dawn. Send me away with the words of a love song."**_

"_**The sharp knife of a short life, oh well I've had just enough time."**_

"_**And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger,"**_

Beth brought her gaze up to look into Daryl's eyes from across the room.

"_**I've never known the lovin' of a man, But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand, There's a boy here in town, says he'll love me forever, who would have thought forever could be severed by..."**_

"_**...the sharp knife of a short life, oh well? I've had just enough time."**_

"_**So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls. What I never did is done."**_

"_**A penny for my thoughts, oh, no, I'll sell 'em for a dollar. They're worth so much more after I'm a goner. And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'. Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'."**_

_**"If I die young, bury me in satin. Lay me down on a bed of roses. Sink me in the river at dawn. Send me away with the words of a love song."**_

"_**Uh oh the ballad of a dove. Go with peace and love, gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket. Save 'em for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh."**_

"_**The sharp knife of a short life, oh well I've had just enough time."**_

"_**So put on your best, boys, and I'll wear my pearls." **_

"Is that what you want?" he asked quietly, his voice sounding coarser than normal.

"Hmm?" she asked, looking at him with sad and confused eyes. He stood up, getting angry and not sure why.

"Is that what you want Beth, to die young an' leave a pretty lookin' corpse? Gonna stab yerself an' make me . . . before you . . ." Daryl couldn't bring himself to say _and make me stab your pretty little head before you turn_. He turned away for a second and then looked back and started to walk toward her, anger coursing through his veins, and he still didn't even understand why. "You gonna put a satin dress on an' kill yourself, want me t' lay ya down on a bed a' roses? Sink yer corpse into some river an' cry cause I lost ya? That a pretty enough death for ya?"

"Daryl, it's just a song," she said meekly.

"But that's what you want! To take yer own life, an' make me . . ."

"No! I just think it's beautiful, the song."

"You think dyin' young's beautiful? Beth, I thought you wanted to get through this shit, an' find Maggie. Beth this is real life, it ain't a damn song, sang by a stupid girl with her head in the damn clouds!"

"I do want to find Maggie! I just think it's beautiful and romantic," she stammered out the last part as her cheeks colored so prettily. She melted him when she blushed.

"You think I'm yer damn Redneck Romeo? Is that what ya want? Cause I don't think ya know what yer askin' for. That shit don't happen in real life Beth, this is the real world."

"An' what if _that_ is what I want?"

"Trust me, ya don't."

"Why'd ya get so upset 'bout me singin' that song Daryl Dixon? Tell me that then I'll tell you what I want."

"The hell do you think I got upset 'bout?"

"I think you don't wanna lose me, it's like I said, you're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone Daryl Dixon, so you might wanna take advantage of the time I'm here."

"What's that supposed t' mean? What the hell do ya want from me?"

"D' you really wanna know?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, I do," Daryl affirmed stepping closer to her to make his point clear.

She took another step towards him so they were standing directly in front of each other. "I want you to kiss me Daryl Dixon, like you ain't never kissed no one before! I want you to kiss me like you mean it, 'cause I know you want it as bad as I do. An' there ain't a single man I'd rather have kissin' me than you."

Any other time Daryl would have been rational, would have pushed her away, said no, done the right thing. She didn't deserve the likes of him, she deserved way better. He wasn't sure if she meant to do it or not, but she'd hit a nerve with that song and what she'd said. Time was so fleeting and he could lose her at any minute. He'd gotten angry because of his abandonment issues. He knew he had them; he just didn't go around telling people, and she'd played on them, whether intentionally or by chance, and it'd worked. He couldn't stand to lose her before he'd even had her. She had come straight out and told him she wanted him to kiss her. He'd tried to warn her off before, but his resolve was failing him. She was standing there so determined and fierce and yet so fragile and stunning, with her blonde waves falling down around her and those tight blue jeans that hugged her slender, but shapely hips, and the eyes. Those eyes as big as dinner plates were the only part of her that showed any weakness, but it was there, _need_. She _needed_ him. He realized that he hadn't been the only one holding back feelings. He knew she could do better, but she seemed to want him anyways, and not just because he was the only man for miles. And for once, he decided to let his guard down and just let himself have something.

Daryl closed the remaining space between them by grabbing Beth by her upper arms and pulling her into him while crashing his lips into hers, hungrily. Her mouth opened to him eagerly. She reached up and carefully slid her hands into his hair in a gentle caress, like nothing he'd ever felt before. His right hand went to her lower back to hold her against him and his left hand went into her blonde hair, taking in the silky sensation of her tresses and tangling them in his fist. He had no right to put his hands on something so clean and beautiful and perfect, but he wasn't about to start asking questions now. He made sure that his grip in her hair wasn't too tight and painful for her. She smelled and tasted exquisite. The smell was definitely sweet Georgia peaches and the taste was minty, and crisp. Only Beth would think to use mouth wash in the apocalypse. The kiss was both passionate and gentle, as their mouths moved against each other he decided to deepen the kiss. He was leaning over her, being so much taller than she, and he took a step closer causing her to step back onto her bad ankle which buckled at the same moment that he began licking her bottom lip. He caught her, smiling against her mouth and her hands went from his hair to his biceps, grabbing on tightly for support, and he had an idea. He remembered the picture on the front of that romance book she'd been reading and lifted her above him so that she was resting her forearms on his shoulders and she was now leaning over him. This was something he'd never done before, and so he fulfilled her wish, to be kissed like he'd never kissed anyone else. It was easy too, she was light as a feather, despite his teasing her a while back to the contrary. Beth sighed into the kiss and tangled her hands back into his hair. His tongue found hers, and he gently licked at it, and she moaned into their deepening kiss.

After a moment she pulled away breathing heavily, still held up off the ground in his arms. "Well, I do declare, that was rather romantic Mr. Dixon," she said in the sweetest Southern drawl he'd ever heard in his life.

"Ain't done yet," he said, his voice deep and husky, and he claimed her lips again, still holding her up above him. She moved her hands down from his hair to his arms, and he thought at first that she was trying to stabilize herself, but he quickly realized she was running her fingers over his muscles, caressing every cut and swell in his toned arms as if she was committing them to memory. He'd had women touch his arms before, and honestly it always made him feel awkward; he'd rather just get on with business, but this was different. There was something intimate about the way she was mapping out his arms and shoulders. He let out a low groan from the sensation of it all and pulled his tongue out of her mouth long enough to gently bite and suck on her bottom lip. "Mmmm," she moaned and their tongues went back to touching again. After a moment more, she pulled away from the kiss, leaning her forehead against his and smiling.

"Y' ok?" he asked, almost afraid he'd gone too far. He gently sat her down.

She laughed a little, "I'm better than ok . . . mmmmm, your arms Daryl Dixon," she said as she lightly ran her hands over them, and licked her lips. His thoughts immediately went south as she did that, and he had to threaten himself within an inch of his life to push the traitorous thoughts aside. Kissing her was far more than he deserved, and he was so grateful she'd wanted him to do that much. He knew it was too soon to go any further.

"Your lips," he mumbled stupidly, reaching up and running a thumb over her bottom lip as he laid his hand on the side of her face. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes as he caressed her lips.

This woman did things to him, caused him to feel things he'd never felt before. Sure he'd been kinda wild and had a good time back in the day, but to be honest if someone asked him if he'd rather have sex with one of those women from his past or kiss Beth Greene, he'd have chosen the petite blonde every time.

"Why don't ya sing me another song?"

She smiled sweetly and nodded, reaching up and clasping her hands together behind his neck.

"_**Somebody's gotta wear a pretty skirt, somebody's gotta be the one to flirt, somebody's gotta wanna hold his hand so God Made Girls."**_

"_**Somebody's gotta make him get dressed up, give him a reason to wash that truck, somebody's gotta teach him how to dance, so God made girls."**_

"_**He needed something soft and loud and sweet and proud, but tough enough to break a heart. Something beautiful and breakable that lights up in the dark."**_

"_**So God made girls, God made girls. He stood back and told the boys, "I'm 'bout to rock your world." And God made girls (for singing in your front seat). God made girls (for dancin' to our own beat). He stood back and told the boys, "I'm 'bout to rock your world." And God made girls. . ."**_

As Daryl held onto her and listened to the words she was singing he thought maybe she was right. Having a girl like the girl in the song, like her, seemed impossible. But here she was in his arms looking every bit an angel. And he allowed himself to think that maybe, just maybe, this _was _right, and that _she_ was made for him.

"_**. . . somethin' fragile to hold him when he hurts."**_

"_**So God made girls, God made girls. He stood back and told the boys, "I'm 'bout to rock your world." And God made girls (for singin' in your front seat).God made girls (for dancin' to our own beat). He stood back and told the boys, "I'm 'bout to rock your world." And God made girls"**_

When she finished the song she was still smiling at him, looking right into his eyes. "And I'm your girl Daryl Dixon."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay! Bethyl Notebook kiss . . . gosh I hope that was okay. I must confess I struggled with writing this chapter. I hope it didn't disappoint. **

**Have y'all heard Emily Kinney sing (asides from just on the show?) She is fantastic. So, when reading the songs, you gotta imagine EK singing it in her adorable bubbly soprano. I also want to clarify that when Daryl was saying something along the lines of "stupid girl with her head in the clouds" that was just Daryl being Daryl and not some underlying hate I have for Kimberly Perry (lead singer for The Band Perry). I actually really like the song, and I have no problem with her at all. She has a beautiful voice, but I think it would sound just as good in EK's soprano as KP's alto. Also, I know "If I Die Young" is not about suicide, but Daryl takes it that way because he is scared of losing Beth and he has all these abandonment issues. Kimberly actually said the meaning of the song is about making the most of the time you're given, and that's the message Beth is sending to Daryl, only he misses it, and his concerns for losing her translate into anger, well because he is Daryl and that's how he handles his insecurities. He doesn't want to look weak. It's the same concept as at the moonshine shack. The second song is "God Made Girls" by RaeLynn. It's one of my favorites! It describes Beth perfectly and I really wanted her to sing it to Daryl to show him what he can have. I hope you thought it was adorable!**

**Here's the complete playlist for this fic! You should definitely give them all a listen!**

"**Where It's At" Dustin Lynch**

"**Leave The Night On" Sam Hunt**

"**Sunshine & Whiskey" Franklie Ballard**

"**Chillin' It" Cole Swindell**

"**Tim McGraw" Taylor Swift**

"**Hope You Get Lonely Tonight" Cole Swindell**

"**Burnin It Down" Jason Aldean**

"**I Don't Dance" Lee Brice**

"**If I Die Young" The Band Perry**

"**God Made Girls" RaeLynn**

**I know some of you were really wanting me to extend this, and I may eventually, but this was the little plot I had and I don't want to just stumble along without some goal in mind, so for now this is the conclusion of this little tale. So, what is next for me? I am planning on writing a drabble series of Bethyl one shots. I will be accepting prompts as well as cooking up some ideas to go off of on my own (I already have a few, AU and cannon both). I've never written a drabble series before, and it just sounds like it would be really free and fun! I would like to post the first one before the Season 5 premier. If you want to submit a prompt (one word or several sentences or whatever floats your boat) just PM me, post it to my "Ask" link on my tumblr (link to my tumblr is on my profile), or leave me a review here on this story. **

**PS, I dropped a Sansan reference in here, let me know if you catch it. I heart my ASoIaF fandom too! Plus there are a crazy amount of similarities between Bethyl and Sansan. I'll give you a hint, Daryl says something to Beth that Sandor says to Sansa. It's not a direct quote but see if you can snatch it. I'd love to hear if you find it.**

**Thank you all soooo much for your support and taking your time to read my story! I hope you loved it. Let me know!**

**3 engineergirl86**


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